The article reports that turning on X’s feed algorithm shifted users’ political opinions toward the right, with the effect persisting after the algorithm was turned off. A seven-week field experiment with 4,965 participants found increased conservatism in policy views and changes in attitudes toward current events, driven by engagement with algorithmically promoted content.

This topic is of interest to psychology because it highlights how environment and repeated exposure shape attitudes and political cognition, illustrating mechanisms of social influence, perception of information, and the persistence of behavioral change beyond initial exposure.

Article Title: X’s feed algorithm shifts users’ political opinions to the right, new study finds

Link to PsyPost Article: https://www.psypost dot org/xs-feed-algorithm-shifts-users-political-opinions-to-the-right-new-study-finds/

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#socialmedia #algorithm #politicalopinion #psychologyresearch #informationenvironment

Information pollution is hitting us in a series of powerful waves like the next generation after industrial pollution.

From the article:

«Dr Manny Ahmed, CEO of OpenOrigins, a company that distinguishes between AI and real images, says we need a new way for real content posters to be able to prove their clips and pictures are genuine.

"We are already at the point where you cannot confidently tell what is real by inspection alone," he says. "Instead of trying to detect what is fake, we need infrastructure that allows real content to publicly prove its origin."»

BBC article:
AI 'slop' is transforming social media - and there's a backlash
<https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wx2dz2v44o>

#InformationEnvironment
#InformationPollution
#Pollution